Building construction



W. L. EVANS, JR

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 27, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESSESATTOR N EY w L. EVANS. JR

I BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 27, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTORJul 22 1924,

W. L. EVANS, JR

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 27. 1921 4 Sheeis-Sheet 5 E575. 17..

LEI/ails J INVEN he: H. ..w Tn. H. E

ATTORNEY -.Fuly 22 192%.

W. L. EVANS. JR

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION WITNESSES ATTORNEY Patented July 225, I24.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed July 27, 1921. Serial No. 487:919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM L. EvANs, Jr., acitizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Washington, in the county of 'Daviess and State ofIndiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in BuildingConstructions, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention has reference to building construction, and its object isto provide a construction utilizing concrete or some similarcementitious material as the filling-in material, with metal facings orskins serving as forms and which become a permanent part of the wall,floor, ceiling or column entering into the building construction, whichis of a nature permitting rapid assembly without those delays incidentto the drying out or hardening of the filling-in material, andpermitting, particularly in alls, of the completion of the forms to thefull height contemplated before the filling-in material is poured.

The invention has the advantage of extremely economical construction,since the outer walls, which also constitute the forms may be made ofcheap sheet metal of suitable gage, sheet iron answering the purpose, assheet iron is susceptible (3f protection against rust or deteriorationby various treatments, of which sherardizing may be taken as an example.This is a process of treating the iron in a receptacle with powderedzinc and heating the materials to a temperature a little less than themelting point of the zinc, whereby the zinc is caused to enter the poresof the iron and combines with it into an alloy to produce the protectingcoating.

In preparing the metallic skin to produce the outer or mold surfaces,which may be both inner and outer surfaces in the case of a wall or thereceptacle for the filling-in material, in the case of a floor or aceiling, or the sides in the case of a column, troughlike elements areprovided, consisting of suitably eicngated sheets of metal ofappropriate gage, with the long edges bent at an to constitute flanges,the troughs being assembled into any desirable area with adjacentflanges in contact and riveted or otherwise secured together, while theopposite faces, in the case of an upright wall are joined at appropriateintervals by spacer strips or tie rods determining the thickness of thecompleted wall, which is ultimately filled with concrete or the likepoured between the joined walls and althrough in a manner to providematching passages with raw edges, the punching resulting in theextension of these raw edges then returned or upset against that face ofthe flanges from which they project, after which the projecting edgesare upset in a manner to anchor the adjacent flanges together. Theperforations thus produced are made to match throughout the length ofthe construction to provide forthe passage of reinforcing rods, but theperforations are alsq made of relatively large size with respect to therods so that the latter may lie close. to one side of the perforations,providing ample room about the rod for the spontaneous flow of theconcrete through the holes'made in the flanges to produce anchoringjunctions through the flanges from one troughlike member to the next inorder.

In this manner the-concrete fillingis to an extent monolithic. Insteadof securing the flanges of the adjacent troughs or skinelementstogether, by punching holes therethrough with ragged edges and upsettingand rlveting them together after the manner of tubular rivets, the holesmay be smooth holes, but matching to pass reinforcing rods and bolts,may be employed to fasten the troughs together. Furthermore, the planefaces of the troughs between the flanges may be strengthened andstifiened by lateral corrugations which, in conjunction with thereinforcing rods and tie or spacer bar's, im "art particular rigidityand resistance to co lapse of the metallic skins containing the concretefillin The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing debeyond one face of the joined flanges, and

tailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsforming part of this specification, with the understand ing, however,that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the mayhe as such no Ina-- features the apshowing of the drawings, but changedand modified so long changes and modifications mark terial departurefrom the salient or the invention as expressed in pended claims.

In the drawings: v

1 igure 1 is a perspective vi w, partly completely and partly brokenaway and in section, of an upright wall embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a partly complete and partly incomplete perspective view ofa floor structure embodying the invention.

Figure i is a similar view of a floor structure somewhat modified fromthe arrangement ofFigure 8. 7

Figure 5 is an upright section in the line of the reinforcing rods, andshowing a small portion of a completed part or a floor section, formedafter the plan of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a similar view but following the construction of Figureigure 7 is an upright section showing two sides or a corner in anupright wall, similar to the arrangement o'f'lligure 1.

Figure 8 is a vertical section or" an upright wall and a cross sectionof a ceiling einloodying feature of the invention.

Figure 9 is a detail cross section of a portion of ceiling shown inFigure 8,

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 hut showing a modified :iorrnoi": the ceiling structure.

Figure ii is a perspective view of a portion or the structure shown in.Figure 8 and 9 but with the *olaster omitted,

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Figures l, 2 and '3', anupright wall construction in which there are inner and outer shins A andEach skin or surface A and B is resale up of numerous trough-likebox-like sections 1, simulating wall blocks, eech composed of anelongated strip of metal or suitable width and also oi appropriate gage,terminating at the long edges in. inturneol flanges 2 which may heperpendicular, to the plane or the trough-like structure 1, so that theflanges may he brough into face-to-face contact, with the two meetingflanges constituting a reinforcement lodged within space hetween the twoouter skins of the wall. in order to determine the thickness of thecompleted wall, the flanges 2 on o csite laces thereof, are securedtogether ..,i spaced relation hy angropriaite bars 3, each bar beingriveted,

pinned, or bolted to flanges with which itis connected. The are pro lwith. openings and the bars or tie rods have loolts or rivets whichengage said openings and connect and hold the skins or sectionstogether, 5o Each pair or flanges 2 has matching perforations orpassages 4, and these of perforations also aline throughout the extentof the wall to pass reinforcing rods 5 located between the trough-likejoins of the wall and initially upheld by flanges at the bottoms of theperforations by which the rods are supported,

lihe perforations 4c are -produced at quent intervals so t iat anappropriate 1 her or reinforcing rods 5 may he utlr. but the spacingbars 3 may be less numerous and are utilized to receive and sustainreinforcing bars 6 located intermedia of the space between the shins A mThe reinforcing" r ois 5 extend in posed order so ciently close to theor facings A and B to pass through to perforations while the interveningbetween the nor and outer walls or A and B contain the reinforcing 3 6in superposed order about inter ate the thickness this particularohligat,

or elem nts oi. gether, 1n the showing o" short bolts are made toelements tog After the metallic facings or s assembled, and thisoperation may tinned through the extent or the s a suitable concreterniXtme is not the sloace between the we.

s l3 facings A, B, embedding the rods 5 joined reinforcing e 9 l flowingthrough the A sides of the 2 so that wh Crete has set, the variou laythe concrete are one cally monolithic mass of manner the metallic palcomes eilectively joined at vals whereby the skin is so tribute to thewhole struc' U the clue to contraction and er nsion metal, confiningsuch strains to small I while the metal and concrete he-c curely boundtogether.

In order to stiffen the e ings or skins to withsl sure caused by the wehefore it has set, the i parts trouglrlike members A and hetw fian ee 2provided with sc -ru extending lengthwise of alily spaced one aoove heother. rugations may rolled or other recipes of which the one member ofthe completed wall, While in the other completed wall joining the firstwall at an angle, the flanges 2 are in alignment therewith so as toprovide aligned extensions 2* secured to the respective flanges 2 bybolts or rivets or other suitable fastening devices 7 I The constructionalready described is susceptible to employment not only for uprightwalls, but for the production of floors or ceilings. In Figures 4. and6, the troughlike elements are horizontal, or approximately so, and inFigure 4, trough-like elements A have upstanding flanges 2 with I smoothmatching perforations 4' through lustrated.

which reinforcing rods 5 project, and the flanges are secured togetherby bolts 7. The rods 5 naturallygravitate to the botatoms of the holesor perforations 4, and when concrete is filled into the trough-likemembers 1, the rods 5 become embedded and, on the hardening of theconcrete, the floor material confined in the'troughs assumes amonolithic character with integral anchors of concrete through thepassages .4.

In the structure shown in Figures 3 and 5, a somewhat differentconstruction is il- The meeting flanges 2 have the edges remote from theplate-like bases of the trough-like elements each formed with a returnbead 8*? with one return bead housing the other one, .whercb tointerlock' the otherwise free. long ec ges of the flanges, besidesgreatly stiffening the reinforcing quality imparted to these flanges.Furthermore, matching perforations 4 are punched through the contactingflanges so that there is a raw edge or burr 9 formed about the raw edgeof the perforation 4 and the burr is turned back against the face of theflange through which it projects, after the manner of the tubular rivet,thereby securing the two flanges solidly together, this being shownparticularly in Figure 5 and indicated in Figure 3. The reinforcingquality of the flanges 2 in the st ructure shown in Figures 3 and 4 isgreatly increased and the metal skin or facing of the completedstructure is greatly strengthened.

This invention is an improvement upon the building construction.illustrated and described in my application No.466,843, filed May 4th,1921, in which one face of the wall is made up of a single-thick'layerof brick, with a removable molding form ten'lporarily secured thereto inspaced relation thereto so that the concrete is poured between thepermanent brick wall and the forcement, while the holes temporary moldface to complete the wall.

For certain classesof Work, this construction is very desirable,althoughit has some disadvantages. The cost of the brick and the cost oflaying them represents a high initial cost. Moreover, it is difficult,to get brick masons sufliciently skilled to lay up the brick withwater-tight joints, or even to get brick masons in sufficient numbersand at prices whichwill justify the laying of the brick. Furthermore,the brick, after being laid, must stand long enough for the mortartovset before the forms can be put into place and the concrete poured.

' In accordance with the present invention, the skin employed not onlyacts asa form for the concrete wall, but also as a permanent skin orfacing for the building, and is cheap in first cost and easy ofconstruction. It will also permit the work to go forward as soon as theskin is put in place, and without having to Wait for the drying ofmortar. Furthermore, such a skin is impervious to moisture and canconstitute both the outside and inside of the wall so that the lattermay be completed as soon as the concrete is poured.

Since there are several known processes of rendering sheet ironrust-proof, the skin construction may be set up Very cheaply and mayconstitute a permanent part of the Wall, thus. necessitating-no falsework to be subsequently torn down.

In producing an upright wall or partition, which it is desired tosubsequently plaster, the inner skin or form may be made removable andexpanded metal lathing may replace .it. In the case. of a floor but oneskin or facing, the bottom member, is needed to receive and hold theconcrete. and a finishing coating of cement or other material may beadded.

In floor construction it is evident'that, the metal employed should beof somewhat heavier gage than that for walls, with the flanges and holeslarger and the reinforcing rods proportionately heavier.

By the, arrangemeiit herein disclosed, the

reinforcing rodsextending through the holes in the flanges causes therods to be brought close to the bottom of the concrete slab,

where it is most desirable to place the reinermit the concrete to flowtogether and join on both sides of the flanges with the result that theslab is not weakened by the ribs or flanges extending partly through it.The flan es form reinforcing ribs extending in one i.- rection with thereinforcing rods extending in the opposite direction.

In using this invention for floor construction, it will be found mostvaluable for the construction of floors for buildings, bridges, piers,platforms, the rust-proofing of the metal facing peculiarly adapting itfor the upright wall formed of inner and outer the ceiling as shown inpurposes mentioned. The holes or perforations in the flanges .may bemadeof any shape.

, In Figures 8 and 9 there is shown a form ofwall construction similarin some respects to Figures 3 and 7, Figure 8 illustrating an skins Dand E, respectively, which are similar to the skins A and B shown inFigure 7 and other figures of the drawings. The skins D and E may bemade up of troughs having flanges 2 with matching perforations a formedwith burrs 9, by means of which the facing flanges are anchoredtogether, as in the structure shown in Figure 3. The perforations 45*receive reinforcing rods 5. as in other forms of the invention.

lln Figure 8 and associated figures, provision is made for theapplication of plaster or stucco, or both, respectively. on oppositewalls. To prepare the wa D and E and gure 8, for the application ofplaster, 1 metal skin is punched t rough on in =1BlOUS elongated linesprod .cing perforations 10 with closely adjacent but separate flanges 11or 12, the latter being indicated in Figure 10. In Figures 8, 9. and 11the flanges 11 are oppositely curved with respect to each other to formhooks 13 by the return of the flanges upon themselves, thus providinganchors to receive and retain a surface coating 14 of plaster or thelike, permitting use of-an interior wall filling 15, which in cheap con-'structions may be composed of clay but in the case of floors mayconsist of concrete or the like. I

The slots 10 and struck-out flanges 11 or 12 are each of considerablelength and are arranged more or less parallel with each other and inrelatively close relation, and serve to very sensibly stiffen the metalskin, thus materially aiding in strengthening the walls. The slots andflanges bordering them act after the manner of metallic lathing andfirmly retain plaster applied to the inner surface of the walls whilethe metallic lathing on the exterior of the walls serves to receive andhold stucco thereby greatly enhancing the appearance of the exteriorfinish of the building without material addition to the cost, whereforethe arrangement is particularly advantageous where it is desirable toproduce buildings of small initial cost but with an appearance equalingthat of more expensive constructions.

The plaster can be put directly upon the perforated shin either beforeor after the filling-in process, but preferably after. Furthermore, whenthe metallic skin is embedded in the wall with concrete on one face andplasteron the other, little or no rustpro ofing of the metal is needed,for the construction excludes the. access of air to the metal andrusting does not occur,

recipes The construction made up of metal shins, steel reinforcements,concrete and plaster is a most desirable construction for buildings upto any size or height and such construction is also available for theproduction of cheaper buildings now in demand.

A cottage can be built permanently at a low price by using a metal skinfor the walls plastered on the inside and stuccoed on the outside andfilled withclay of a thickness which will be cool in summer and warm inthe winter, while the ceilings of such buildings can be made permanentand fire-proof by using a metal form such as hereinbefore described,that is, by using a metal form plastered on the underside and filledwith c on the upper side. Moreover, the floors be made with a metal formhaving steel rein- .forcements and filled with concrete.

For purposes of brevity, the word is employed in the claims to include ac ing, floor, partition or inside or outside wan of any buildingstructure.

l v'hat is claimed is:-

1. in building construction, the combi e tion of elongated sheet-metaltrcugii-lil elements having longitudinal angle flan at the edges meetingface to face, fasten moans securing the flanges of the elementstogether, where meeting, to form a cor nous wall-facing, with saidflanges ha matching perforations in alignment, a'

inforcing rods smaller in diameter than the perforations and traversingsaid perforalions,v said elements being adapted to ieceive aiilling-in-material, embedding rods andiflanges and passing throughperforations and filling the spaces betneul said flanges.

tion of-a facing coi weed of elon metal sheets with the lbng edgesprojec from the sheets an angle to pro flanges, and the flanges beingassociated held in face-to-face engagement, sc flanges having matchingperforations, re forcing rods of materially smaller 1 than theperforations and traversir aligned perforations, means for securingmetal sheets together, and a flowahle a subsequently hardening lling forthe embedding the said flanges and the rent. forcing rods and alsoextending throu 'h said matching perforations to provide l'etivecontinuity of the wall filling.

ln building construction, the combination of sheet-metal sections withangle flanges at the long edges, said flanges being provided withmatching perforations and secured together, reinforcing rods extending1,501.,ese

flanges and initially flowable and subsequently hardening and setting,to spontaneously pass through the perforations to thereby join the sheetmetal and filling material together and connect the rods to saidmaterial.

4. In building construction,'the combination of sheetmetal sections,with angle flanges at the long edges, said flanges being provided withmatching perforations and secured together, reinforcing rods extendingthrough the flanges, with the perforations of materially greaterdiameter than the rods, and a filling of material embedding the rods andflanges and initially flowable and subsequently hardening and setting tospontaneously pass through the per forations to join the metal andfilling material together and connecting the rods to said material, saidwall also comprising joined metallic units on both faces with thejunction means in the form of metallic bars, and reinforcing barslocated between the facing means and embedded in the filling means.

5. In building construction, a sheet metal trough-like unit with edgeflanges projecting at an angle to the plane of the main portion of theunit, said flanges being in face-to-face contact, and means forconnecting the trough-like units together, consisting of matchingperforations in said flanges having burrs formed about the edges of theperforations of one flange and pro jecting through the perforations ofthe otherflange and returned upon and upset against said other flange toconnect the two flanges firmly together in the manner of a tubularrivet. said connecting means not obstructing the assage offilling-in-material through said perforations, and said perforationsbeing adapted to receive reinforcing rods.

6. In building construction, a sheet metal trough-like unit with edgeflanges projecting at an angle to the plane of the main portion of theunit, said flanges having perforations which are alined when the unitsare assembled with theflangcs in face-to-face contact, said perforationsbeing adapted to receive reinforcing rods, and tubular rivets unitingadjacent units together at the perforations, said rivets being formedintegral with one flange and engaging the other flange.

7. In building construction, the combination of a sheet metal casingcomposed of joined trough-shaped units defining the outer skin of awall, with joined flanges-connecting the units, the interior of the'wallbeing filled with an initially flowable mixture of a character to hardenwhile in the wall, said metallic skin having slots punched therethroughand forming outstanding flanges on op osite sides of the slots toreceive and hol a coating of iniof joined-trough-shaped units definingthe outer skin ofthe wall, having joining flanges connecting the units,with one face of each unit provided with punched through elongated slotshaving curved 'free edges bent away from each other and returned towardthe facing to form outstanding hook-shaped locking edges, a coating ofwall-finishing material applied to the outstanding edges of the slotsand the corresponding face of the metallic skin, a filling of initiallyflowable and subse uently hardening materialwithin the 'wa 1, said innerand outer coatings embedding the sheet-- metal to protect it againstrust.

9. In building construction, an exterior metallic casing composed ofopposite skins formed of trough-like sections having inturned flanges'rovided with perforations, said sections belng fitted together with theflanges in face-to-face contact and the perforations alining, rodspassed through the per't'orations in the flanges and being of a lengthto connect two or. more sections, and a plastic filling poured betweenthe sections of the opposite skins. I

10. In building construction, the combination of elongated sheet metaltroughlike sectionshaving longitudinal angle flanges at the edges, saidsections being fitted together with the flanges in face-to-face contact,said flanges having matching perforations in alinement, and transverserods passed through the perforations and spaced from the body of thesections, said sections being adapted to receive a filling-in materialwhich embeds the rods and flanges and fills in the spaces betweensaidflanges.

11. In building construction, an exterior metallic casing composed ofoppositeskins formed of trough-like sections having inturned flangesprovided with perforations, said sections being fitted together with theflanges in faoe-to-face contact and the per-D. fora tions alining, rodsof materially less diameter than and passing through the perforations inthe flanges so that the rods occupy the bottom walls of theperforations, and a plastic filling poured between the sections of theopposite skins.

12. In building construction, a metallic casing composed of oppositeskins formed of trough-like sections or units having inturned flangesprovided with perforations, said sections or units being fitted togetherwith the flanges in face-to-face contact, reinforcing rods passedthrough the perfora= tions and connecting the sections or units at oneside, spacing means for joining'fthe units at opposite sides and holdingthem apart, other reinforcing bars supported by said spacing means, anda plastic filling ploured between the sections of the opposite sons.

13. In building construction, e metallic casing composed of oppositeskins formed of trough-like sectionsor units having in turned flanges,reinforcing bars connecting the sections or units at one side andsupported by said flanges, spacing means for joining-the sections orunits at opposite sides and holding them apart, and other reinforcingbars supported by said spacing -II162H1S between the opposite skins, anda plastic filling poured between the sections otthe opposite skins andembeddin'g'q neoneee i6 flanges, the two sets'of reinforcing bars andthe spacing means.

14. fiL concrete structure, including an ex:

terior metallic casing composed of oppositeskins comprising box-likesections having upturned flanges provided with openings, said sectionsbeing fitted together and simuleting Wail blocks, interconnecting tierods engaging the openings in the flanges and holding the sectionstogether, and a plastic filling poured between the sections of theopposite skins.

In testimony that I cleinithe foregoing as my own, it have hereto efixedmy nature.

Lewis EVANS, JR.

